Insufficiency of body fluid refers to syndrome due to deficiency of body fluid which fails to nourish and moisten viscera, tissues and organs. This syndrome is mainly caused by excessive consumption of body fluid due to high fever, profuse sweating, excessive vomiting, excessive diarrhea and profuse urine or consumption of fluid by dryness and heat; or by insufficiency of body fluid due to scanty drinking of water and decline of visceral qi.

Clinical manifestations:
Dry mouth and throat, dry or fissured lips, sunken orbit, dry skin, thirst with desire for water, scanty urine, retention of dry feces, dry tongue with scanty saliva and thin and astringent pulse.

Analysis of symptoms:
Dry mouth, lips, tongue, throat and skin as well as sunken orbit and thirst with desire for water are due to failure of deficient body fluid to nourish and moisten the viscera and body; scanty urine is due to deficiency of body fluid to transform urine; retention of dry feces is due to scanty body fluid to lubricate the large intestine; scanty saliva is due to deficiency of body fluid to moisten the tongue; thin and fast pulse is due to insufficiency of qi and blood.

Key points for syndrome differentiation:
Dry mouth, lips, tongue, throat and skin as well as scanty urine and dry stool.